Los Angeles 3-Day Itinerary

This plan keeps each day in one part of the city to save you hours in traffic. Book free timed tickets for the Getty Center and The Broad before you go. A car helps on day three; the other two days work on the Metro and rideshare. If you're staying by the beach, flip the order and start with day three.

Day 1: Hollywood and the hills

9am: Walk Hollywood Boulevard while it's quiet: the Chinese Theatre, the Dolby and the Egyptian. Our Hollywood guide has the details.

11am: Lake Hollywood Park for a close view of the sign.

1pm: Lunch in Thai Town or Los Feliz.

3pm: Los Feliz, then the Fern Dell trail up to the observatory.

Sunset: Griffith Observatory, and the city lights coming on.

Evening: Barbecue in Koreatown.

Day 2: Downtown

9.30am: Union Station, then Olvera Street across the road.

11am: The Broad, with your timed ticket.

12.30pm: The Walt Disney Concert Hall's rooftop garden, then lunch at Grand Central Market.

2pm: Angels Flight and the Bradbury Building.

4pm: Little Tokyo and the Arts District.

Evening: Dinner and drinks in the Arts District.

Day 3: The Getty and the coast

10am: The Getty Center, with its gardens and the view.

1.30pm: Drive to Santa Monica, stopping at LACMA's Urban Light and the La Brea Tar Pits if you have time before the afternoon traffic.

2.30pm: In Santa Monica, Lunch, then the walk south along the beach, following our Santa Monica and Venice route.

4pm: Venice Canals and Abbot Kinney Boulevard.

Sunset: Santa Monica Pier or the beach.

With a fourth day, drive the Malibu coast or take the ferry to Catalina, both in our day trips guide.